


Letters

by readergirl37



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Author Is Sleep Deprived, Canon Related, Canon Rewrite, Dorks in Love, F/M, Falling In Love, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Idiots in Love, Love Letters, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, do not copy to another site, elejah, past Stefan Salvatore/Elena Gilbert - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24932992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/readergirl37/pseuds/readergirl37
Summary: Elena writes love letters and undaggers Elijah before 3x11. Things get complicated.
Relationships: Elena Gilbert/Elijah Mikaelson
Comments: 12
Kudos: 116





	Letters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Terapsina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Terapsina/gifts).



> AN: So this fic has a few changes to canon including that Elijah is awake in 3x11, Delena isn't going to happen, and Jenna is still alive. Klaus killed Mikael in this timeline and he's dead forever. Also, there's no plotline with the Gilbert rings. Alaric is fine and sane. Stefan left without compulsion.
> 
> THIS FIC SO WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN POSTED BY NOW WITHOUT THE AMAZING TERAPSINA. GO READ HER AMAZING FICS!!

Writing letters isn't much different than writing in her journal but for some reason, it's easier as she looks at the paper in front of her. It would be easier to just write a letter to Matt than to her journal. When she tries to write it in her journal, it doesn't come out quite right, but when she starts the letter, it all comes out. It's so much safer than saying it to his face. This letter will never reach him, she knows that as all of it comes out onto the paper. It's not that she didn't love him, she did. She did love him and he was her first love. Everything she feels is so intense and painful and this seems like the best way to get it out. 

In an ordinary circumstance, it might have been painful to lose Matt, but she's pretty sure she was losing him before she lost her parents. They weren't exactly in love the week before the party, or before that. After that night, she didn't look at her phone for weeks. She did love him, she was in love wth him, but everything is different now, and her future fell apart in front of her. She didn't just lose her parents, she lost everything that came with them, her father is never going to walk her down the aisle to Matt, her mother will never help her plan that wedding or any wedding, and it's all over. 

Elena knows she can't be what she was or who she was before she lost her parents, and she tells him in the letter that it's not his fault. It's every single thing she's ever wanted to text him or blurt over the phone that summer, and everything she wanted to say when she saw him in the halls when the semester began. She adds that Stefan isn't why she broke up with him and he isn't the reason they aren't getting back together. She doesn't just write about the end of their relationship, but the beginning, and how he made her feel when they were together. At the time, they made sense, a perfect fit, obvious to everyone, including to them. Being with Matt was easy, natural, expected, but still fun. 

They still got up to some crazy things and she'll never forget that. Every emotion she's tucked away about Matt comes out on paper, she finds herself reaching for another sheet before she's finished. She adds the date at the top corner of each page when she's almost done. Elena ends the letter by reminding him she never meant to hurt him, she never wanted to hurt him, and she's sorry that she did. She ends it with love, Elena. She folds the paper neatly, addresses the envelope, and wraps it with a ribbon. She'll never send it, but it just feels right to do that, so she does.

The letter goes in a box that she hides with her journal. All of the intensity, all of the feelings she kept inside, and all of the words she never said are all wrapped in a neat bow. All she feels is pure relief.

Time passes and she falls in love with Stefan, and as she grins at him in the hallway, she knows he'll be the subject of her next letter. Elena just doesn't know how long it'll be, what'll happen between them, and she's excited and nervous about it.

* * *

Stefan is going to be the next letter and she knows that again as he leaves town with Klaus. There are a lot of things she wants to write and wants to say to him, but she knows that it isn't over yet. Her journal will suffice for her thoughts and feelings, for now, she needs time to help her end this relationship. She's not ready to lose him or what they've had yet, but she knows she will be eventually. Something is growing in her heart for another, but she doesn't want to think about the eventuality of that letter yet. One letter at a time seems like the best way to go about this.

As soon as Stefan kidnaps her and puts her in his car is the night they're truly over in her eyes. He thought this out, he made a plan to take her and he planned to use Wickery Bridge tonight. 

Nothing is left of the man she fell in love with when she pleads with him to stop. He leaves her with her phone in her hands, blood on her lips, on the bridge she almost died on. Elena doesn't watch him drive off, doesn't try to get him to come back, and she doesn't try to call or text him. She sits on the bridge, feeling dirty, feeling used, and heartbroken. She hates this bridge. He knew that. She screamed it to his face with tears in her eyes. They can't come back from this. All of that time she spent training with Alaric, gone. There wasn't a way to stop this.

She thinks about walking home, but it doesn't seem safe. Mystic Falls hasn't been safe in a very long time. She scrolls through her phone and thought about who would be awake, who could come to get her, and who she could trust.

The obvious person to call is Elijah. Almost everyone else is asleep and she doesn't want to wake up Jenna. Elijah's sort of her secret at the moment, she undaggered him when she was first alone with the coffins. She shut it and helped him get to her car. For now, he's a secret. She's pretty sure the others don't check the coffins regularly so they have a while to make a plan. Elena just wants to keep everyone safe. Klaus almost killed Jeremy yesterday and anyone she cares about could be next. She dials his number and waits, looking out over the water, listening to the quiet of the woods and road.

"Can you come to get me? I'm on Wickery Bridge," Elena tells him. She doesn't mean to sniffle and she doesn't even want to be crying about this but she does, and she knows he can hear it.

"I can. Are you okay?" Elijah asks. Elena looks at the water and her surroundings again and shakes her head. He can't see the movement of course, but she needs to admit it to herself before she can admit it to him.

"I'm fine physically," Elena replies. She looks at the water below and to each edge of the bridge. She knows that he noticed what she didn't say with that. Elena wonders if there was a bridge here when Elijah was human.

"What happened?" Elijah wonders. She can hear the rustling of keys and an engine starting to purr in the background. Elena takes a shaky breath before she answers.

"Stefan kidnapped me and threatened to turn me into a vampire. I asked him over and over to stop the car. He called Klaus as he force-fed me his blood. Then he told Klaus he was going to drive off Wickery Bridge if Klaus didn't back down. Klaus did after he heard me scream. Stefan stopped the car, we both got out, and he drove off. He left me here," Elena sighs.

"I didn't realize he was so relentless in this game he's been playing with Niklaus that he would put you in harm's way," Elijah says. 

"I didn't either," Elena admits as tears prick in her eyes. She doesn't want to cry in front of Elijah or on the phone with him because they're playing a game too. He's probably got bigger problems than making sure she gets home safe and he'll move on soon. Elijah will leave town with his siblings and vanish out of her life. The thought adds to the sinking feeling in her stomach. She's read enough for her psych class to know most people would classify what just happened as a traumatic event. Her life has been too many of those lately and there's nothing she can do about it. Nothing is guaranteed anymore. There are no absolutes, just higher certainties than others, like Elijah.

He's a safe option but not entirely safe. A black car pulls up a few minutes later and Elijah gets out. Even at this hour, he's wearing a suit and she can't help but smile at that for a second. There's concern plain on his face, and she can't stop the tears running down her face. He's slow walking to her, a human pace for one of the fastest people unalive, but she accepts his hesitant hug because she doesn't know what else to do. There's not much she can say that he doesn't already know about what happened, they need to talk, she knows they need to make a plan, she needs to get information and he needs to stay secret. 

Instead, they stand on Wickery Bridge and he doesn't let her go until she ends the hug. He's warm, indestructible, his arms around her are firm, and he smells divine. It's easy to lose herself in that, in him, even though she knows it's stupid to do so. The tears stop and she wonders what he's thinking about as she pulls away. He's just being nice and she can't let herself read into this. There are many things she won't let herself have and he is one of them. Not that he'd ever actually be hers.

"Can we make a plan tomorrow?" Elena asks, looking into his eyes. It's so odd to think she wants to meet his gaze and she does it so easily now. The first time they met, he made her look into his eyes and he was the enemy. Now, she trusts Elijah more than Stefan at this point. Elena wonders if she'll ever trust Stefan again. Even if Stefan told her that he knew it was a mistake the next morning, he still thought it was the right call to make at one point. She can't condone that. She can't forgive that lapse in judgment, if that was tonight or any other night, she could be dead. He could make a call just like that in the future and kill her. Or get her killed, she thinks, shivering at the thought.

"Of course. Let's get you home. We can plan over breakfast if you want," Elijah promises. She knows that he means somewhere far out of town, where Klaus won't have hybrids, somewhere people won't recognize them. The safety he offers with his presence is temporary. He will leave. Technically a hybrid could come to kidnap her in her sleep tonight, and Klaus could put her on a plane with him to Antarctica. Anything's possible and she can't plan for that. Still, Elijah seems sure she'll be there for him to pick up in the morning, so she goes with that.

"Breakfast sounds great," she tells him as they walk to his car. He drives her home, they make a plan for breakfast the next morning, and he watches her get into her house before he leaves.

No one else is awake so she sneaks up the stairs and to her room. She texts Elijah that she's fine, and she thanks him again for helping her. She texts Matt and Caroline a quick message to let them know about what happened and that she's home safely. It takes a moment to get her journal and the box that has Matt's letter out, she doesn't expect a response from anyone so she can focus on this.

Elena lets herself feel all of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her on the bridge, in Elijah's car, and on the stairs before she made it to her room. It's not just heartbreak that she feels. It's regret, fury, sorrow, relief, and peace. 

She begins writing the letter to Stefan because she knows they're truly over. He can say it was nothing, it was just to get to Klaus, that it's going to change things, or that he wasn't actually going to do it, but whatever he says, it's over. Stefan probably doesn't feel anything anymore, and even if he did feel something, he doesn't feel enough for her to not attempt to kill her. She believed in him through everything and her hope died in her throat tonight, she screamed it out as he threatened to kill her. It was all just to get rid of Klaus, all just a game, a gamble, a risk he took on her life. His blood is still in her system.

Elena doesn't want him in her life anymore, doesn't want to see the good in him anymore, it's gone. It's finally over, and it's with tears drying on her cheeks that she finally manages to write him a letter. She knows as it begins that it's going to be much longer than Matt's letter. 

She puts the date at the top corner, just like Matt's letter and she begins it almost the same way. She tells him that she's not the girl she used to be when they first fell in love. She had lost so much and she was so vulnerable, raw, and healing back then. Back then, she needed someone she couldn't lose. Elena knows that one of the reasons she loved Stefan so much is that she knew when she came to terms with his vampirism, that she would only lose him if she walked away. He couldn't just _die_ on her. She can die though, and he almost killed her tonight, just to get to Klaus. 

Stefan could beg. He could come to her crawling or on his knees and she writes that she wouldn't take him back, not even then. She will never take him back. Just like with Matt, since she's writing this letter, it's over forever. He's had time and opportunities to make things right, to save their relationship, but he thinks she's interested in his brother, so he let her go. Elena lets him know how wrong he is on that front too. She wasn't interested in Damon. He had a shot to get her back and have her heart again. He blew it.

The letter isn't about anyone else, not Katherine, Damon, Elijah, or anyone else and it's about everything that's happened between her and Stefan. Everything from when they first met to their future. It's still too raw to think about being his friend in the future, to think about knowing him without anger, or even think about seeing him tomorrow. 

He kidnapped her. He threatened to turn her into a vampire, nearly killed her, abandoned her, and left her on the side of the road. All of the love and hope she had for him died in that car and on the bridge, turned to ash in her mouth and dust in her heart. He has to know that, she thinks distantly. There's no way Stefan thought she'd forgive him for this, he used to know her inside and out, this was complete betrayal. He could have turned her into a vampire and maybe even forced her to turn, if he was willing to kill her, making her immortal wouldn't be much of a line to cross. She could have woken up with a sire bond.

He knew how much she never wanted to be a vampire when they were dating, they agreed and talked about how she would never turn, multiple times. He was the one who accepted that before the curse of the sun and moon ritual, spent the day with her, he wanted her to have that choice. His morality is corroding, it's the only explanation for it. It keeps flashing through her head and she can't get the taste of iron out of her mouth.

She ends the letter after a few pages, it's all out and done. Elena addresses it, puts it in an envelope, and puts it with Matt's letter. Neither of them will ever see them, but she still takes her time with the cursive of his name and address. It feels like closure. It's a weight off her shoulders. The urgency leaves her and she feels peace.

It's late but she's all too aware of the vampire blood in her system to relax, so she tells her diary everything. No one knows she undaggered Elijah or that she's working with him, other than her diary. Since Stefan's now going off the rails, she knows that there might be more secrets to keep.

After several pages and her diary safely secure, Elena falls asleep as her worries fade away, breakfast with Elijah is on her mind, coming in just a few short hours and so is telling the others what happened, but it can all wait until the morning.

* * *

She wakes up to a phone call and she accepts it before looking at the name on the screen. She's thankful she didn't yawn Elijah's name in question before she let the other person speak.

"I heard about what Stefan did last night. Are you okay?" Damon asks. He almost seems urgent in his need to know but at least he isn't in her room. She can't help but wonder how he found out. Did Stefan casually mention over breakfast that he almost killed her last night? It's not likely that Klaus and Damon are now drinking buddies and he mentioned it to him. Elena shakes the image away before she answers.

"I'm not dead. But I'm not going to trust Stefan again. Any chance of him and I having any sort of relationship or friendship died last night when he made me drink his blood and almost killed me," Elena yawns. It probably undercuts her seriousness but he's the one who ripped her out of a dream. Part of her wonders what Damon will do with that information if he thinks that this will help his chances with her because it won't. She's never going to date Damon. He's changed since they first met, but she still remembers her horror of seeing his bite marks on Caroline and the way he hurt her. 

Damon is too controlling and too intense for her. She needs to write him a letter soon because they kissed once, and she regretted it. He was dying and it was brief. Now he thinks he has a chance with her, that it's the beginning of them, but she knows it's the end. She's not going to date both Salvatores. She doesn't want to be Katherine and doesn't want to fill her shoes.

Even if she did have feelings for Damon, she wouldn't act on them, she doesn't want to tear the Salvatores apart like Katherine did. It'd also make for awkward holidays. It's better to end it before it begins, nip it in the bud, but she can't say that over the phone.

"Klaus blinked first, that's a win, at least," he offers. Elena shakes her head, knowing he can't see it.

"At the cost of my relationship with him. At the cost of my trust. The cost of my life. I almost died. I thought he was going to kill me and he knew that. He threatened to turn me into a vampire. I begged him to stop the car multiple times. Getting an advantage over Klaus was more important. Did he tell you he left me on Wickery Bridge to walk home?" Elena asks. She can practically see the face Damon's making over the phone.

"No, he did not. Did you get home okay?" Damon asks. Elena sighs in response.

"I did, not that he cares," Elena says. She waits for Damon to defend his brother. He doesn't. In the silence, she can practically hear him think, but he doesn't ask how she got home or why she didn't call him.

"Did you hear what happened to Caroline?" Damon asks, changing the subject.

"I didn't, I texted Matt and Caroline that I was home safe and then went to bed. You woke me up by calling. Is she okay?" Elena wonders, turning on her lamp. There's no way she's going back to sleep now.

"Klaus compelled Tyler to bite her. Klaus came by her house and gave her his blood to cure the bite. Tyler and Caroline's dad are doing some training thing to break his sire bond to Klaus. Think that's everything," Damon informs her. 

"Oh my god," Elena says before she can think. 

* * *

The call with Damon ends a few minutes after that, and she sends a few texts to different people. She reminds herself that she's going to have to write Damon a letter sooner or later, but she just wrote one for Stefan last night. Elijah texts her back almost immediately and she wonders if she actually will have to write him a letter too. She has more envelopes and the right paper in the box by her diary if she needs them, but she wonders if her heart can take another letter this week. 

For now, she texts Elijah back and plans breakfast with him. She texts him that she has a lot to tell him and it feels like a warning as she sends it. Jenna should be out with Alaric this morning, Jeremy always sleeps in on the weekends, and it's early enough none of her neighbors should spot Elijah. Still, she lets herself fully relax as she gets into the car with him and he drives down the street. He's in a softer gray suit today, she notices. He's always in dark colors, but she can't picture him in many bright things either.

"Klaus made Tyler bite Caroline around the time Stefan kidnapped me. Then he saved her life last night by giving her his blood. Tyler's doing some training thing with Caroline's dad to try and break the sire bond he has with Klaus right now. Damon called and told me about it an hour ago, and I can't help but wonder if he planned any of this with Stefan. I'd like to think that at least one of them is sane, but I don't know anymore. Stefan and Damon still have the coffins but Klaus is getting impatient. I'm just worried they're going to do something stupid," Elena tells him. Elijah opens his mouth and she corrects herself before he can speak.

"Stupider, I guess. Stefan ending any chance of me ever talking to him again was-I still can't believe he did that. I reread my diary this morning because part of me thought it was just a nightmare. I'm so worried Klaus will hurt someone I love that I don't want Jeremy or Jenna to leave our house sometimes," Elena admits. It's selfish, but she wants him to help her protect her loved ones again. She thinks about the fact he would also be on her list of loved ones in a way, but even if she does have feelings for him, she's not ready to think about them or define them yet.

"You were right, we do have quite a bit to talk about," Elijah says smoothly. He should be the last person she should be trusting, but she feels safer with him than anyone else in Mystic Falls. Elijah makes her feel like everything is going to be okay. This might be nothing compared to what he's lived through, but it all gets so overwhelming sometimes that she can't see past it like he can. It's a little surprising to her she isn't at all panicked to be in a car again after last night.

They talk about the problems of Mystic Falls during the drive to breakfast at a hole in the wall place with divine crepes. They drink coffee and they work through the issues at hand like they're puzzles to solve. It's easier to see every angle with Elijah and Elena hopes that the warm feeling in her chest is just too much coffee and nothing else.

* * *

Damon drops by an hour after she gets home from breakfast. He checks her over like there might still be a sign last night actually happened somewhere on her. That reminds her that she still has Stefan's blood in her system and the thought makes her skin crawl. She scrubbed her lips for ages last night and drank so much tea to try and get the taste of blood out of her mouth but he can't see that. All she can do is wait for it to pass out of her system, she can't do anything to fix it.

"I just wanted to make sure you're really okay," Damon tells her quietly, eyes staring into hers, taking a few more steps to get closer. His blue eyes feel like a heavyweight, pinning her to where she's standing. Even if her feet won't move, her lips will, and she begins to speak.

"I'm fine for the most part. Caroline's doing better. Bonnie and I were planning on going over to her house this afternoon," Elena deflects. She can feel the tension between them and she's perfectly content to let it be. Elena knows he wants to kiss her, has wanted more than that from her, he wants her heart and she doesn't want him at all. He can't have any of it because he's not who she wants.

_Elijah_ , her heart whispers and she almost flushes out of embarrassment. Elijah hasn't been back long enough for her to have feelings. Part of her knows there was something before the ritual with Elijah, a connection, an understanding, a partnership, but she can't think of that right now. Damon's going to think she's thinking of him if her heartbeat changes and give himself false hope so she thinks of anything else. There's a moment of silence that seems to stretch itself out as long as possible, but Damon hears something and steps back.

"Alaric and Jenna are coming. Goodbye, Elena," he mutters, and he's gone. She exhales and relaxes.

* * *

It seems a little ridiculous to her, but both of the Salvatores are also a little ridiculous, and she begins to write Damon's letter. Of course, they would be the cause of two nights in a row of emotional writing.

The letter is still shorter than Matt's letter. It's much shorter than Stefan's too. There's less to say because she never dated him. She dated Stefan first and never wanted to be like Katherine, from the first time she heard that her doppelganger had dated them both. Damon's letter is more just about how she does and doesn't feel about him. He's better off being Alaric's drinking buddy than her boyfriend. While Damon's never hesitated in trying to protect her, he's done it at the risk of others, and she can't date someone like that. It's interesting that both of her letters to the Salvatores are so similar in that regard, how they go too far. For half a second she wonders who actually protects her and asks what she wants but she knows the answer before she finishes the question. Elijah. They're both not Elijah and he's stuck in her heart. This isn't about Elijah though, and she thinks back about when she first met Damon and everything that's happened since.

Elena remembers how he hurt Caroline, how he's changed since then, but he was still willing to let Bonnie die not too long ago. Elena remembers how she screamed and cried when she thought Bonnie was just gone, defeated by Klaus, and how she just went numb. Damon told the truth a while afterward, she remembers the slap she gave him, but she knows he would have truly let Bonnie die either way. It was an option for him in a way that it was never an option for her-Bonnie is one of her best friends. He'd do anything to save her, even at the cost of her hating him.

It was all for her, his love and obsession is a pressure on her that she never asked for. The phrasing she uses in the letter is nicer than that, but she never wanted his fascination, his willingness to do anything for her, and she hates feeling like she owes him anything at all.

Most people write love letters when they're falling in love with someone and she usually writes them as a relationship is ending. One of the only secrets she truly keeps for herself, no one knows these letters exist. Not Bonnie, not Caroline, not Jenna, it's just her secret. It's just a harmless way to express her feelings. The letter to Damon ends without tears, she's just relieved at the end of it. She carefully dates it, tucks it away with the others, and wonders what Elijah's doing.

* * *

Life is quiet for a few days and it makes Elena uneasy. Klaus hasn't gone after anyone she cares about, hasn't done anything that she's aware of, and she had been thinking of sending Jeremy away before she had breakfast with Elijah a few days ago. He reminded her that Jeremy would be safer in a place where so many people cared for him, people who would keep an eye out for him, and she agreed. She didn't want him to leave, to be separated from him, they've always lived together, she's always been there for him and the thought of only talking to him via texts and occasional phone calls hurts. 

She can't help but think of Elijah and how close he is to finally having his family back. Instead of undaggering them all, he's making secret plans with her, and he's staying here. He has to have a plan to neutralize Klaus somehow, to dagger him, and make the world safe before he leaves with the rest of his family. If he could do that, there'd be no reason for him to stay in Mystic Falls, he's probably only staying to keep her safe from Klaus again.

He might be trying to make up for betraying her the night she died, but she's already forgiven him, he knows that. It's so hard to figure out what Elijah's game is, but she still trusts him, and she knows she'll write a letter about him too. Sooner than she planned, most likely. She wonders what he'll do after he leaves, but she realizes she's been staring off into space for the last few minutes. Math class passes and Caroline finds her in the hallway, with wide eyes.

"What is it?" Elena asks.

"Klaus got the coffins. Apparently, Elijah's body is missing and the Salvatores are trying to deal with Klaus. I didn't think they had Elijah's body stashed in their basement again, but even if they do, anyone could just look in their house. You don't own it anymore," Caroline tells her in a rush. 

Elena manages to get her phone out and send a text as she remembers they have two minutes to make it to their next class together. The end of school can't come fast enough, and she tries to think of a place to meet Elijah. If what Caroline said is true and Klaus suspects the Salvatores having his body, then no one thinks he's been undaggered.

_Klaus has all the coffins. He thinks the Salvatores have your body. What are our options?_ Elena sends the text before rushing with Caroline to catch their next class. She can feel her phone vibrate in her pocket and her heart is beating too quickly for science class. Still, she checks it quickly before they duck into the classroom just in time.

_Klaus has the locked coffin then. I'm not sure who's in that. Call me when you're home from school, I have a plan in the works_. Elijah texts back. It's so hard to focus on anything after that. 

* * *

School ends and she waits until she's home, in her room, the door shut before she calls. He answers on the first ring.

"Elena," he says instead of a greeting. She feels a mix of alarm and warmth as he says her name, she got butterflies from a single word. She's falling and she knows it. This isn't something she can avoid and part of her wants to just fall into it, lean into the leap, but this could crash and burn. She's always been the person who rejects someone else, she's never really been rejected, not when it comes to love and dating. Her heart has the worst timing ever.

"Elijah," she mimics. He has a plan, that's just who he is, she knows there's a plan and that it probably involves her, and she almost can't wait for him to speak. Her mind's been full of plans and outcomes all afternoon.

"I have a few friends who want to meet you today, a few witches who will be working with you to help protect everyone close to you. I am going to Klaus tonight. No one's going to find out we're working together. If I don't kill him or I'm indisposed, you'll be able to make plans to get me back. I have to know what he has done with my siblings, if they're still with him, or if he's moved them again, I've gone so long without knowing where they are," Elijah tells her. There's an unchecked vulnerability in his voice. 

"Are you going to have check-ins or something to let us know if you've been daggered?" Elena asks. Elijah makes a noise that she recognizes as approval. 

"I will. Are you free to have dinner with me and the witches I want you to meet tonight? I know that's not much notice," Elijah says and Elena bites her lip.

"I think I can. I'll run it by Jenna and see if I can have Caroline cover me, say I'm going out with her. I'm assuming we'll be out of town so no one's going to recognize us, right?" Elena says. She knows how he runs things and she knows she needs to have an airtight alibi. Elijah makes another noise and she knows that he doesn't tend to have uncontrolled reactions, he wanted her to hear that.

"I'd love to have you on payroll someday," Elijah says and she can't tell if he's joking. Elena grins either way. She wonders how widespread his network is, witches, vampires, humans who all help him. Maybe he does actually have people on a payroll. He's a vast mystery.

"What time are you thinking?" she asks instead.

* * *

Caroline covers her and Elena knows she owes her for that. They need to talk about everything when this is all over, about why she's covering, and she needs to tell someone other than her diary about her feelings eventually. Still, Elijah picks her up and she wonders if anyone's watching them, watching her, as she gets in his car. The drive is quiet and she knows they've both been running possibilities through their minds all day. The silence is nice, her mind is loud at the moment. She might have to make an exception for Elijah and write him a letter while she's still in love with him. Part of her wonders if there might be a chance between them, but now's not the time to think about it. It might not ever be the right time, that's one thing he has that she doesn't. 

He talks to her about the witches they're meeting, they're sisters, part of a family he protects and she tries to pay attention to him. It makes sense to make a deal with a family line when you don't have to worry about dying. There's a sense of security walking with him and it makes her wonder what it is about him that makes her trust him so much. If he asked her to walk into the lion's den, she probably would, sure of him, sure of his ability to ensure her safety and his skill of planning. It's almost more worrying than how hard and fast she fell for him.

* * *

The restaurant is a mix between upscale and comfortable. Elijah doesn't look out of place in his suit, but she doesn't look out of place either. Elijah tells someone they have a reservation as Elena looks around the restaurant at the people and the decor. There are couples enjoying wine and laughter, conversation, serious-looking people in suits with papers spread on their tables, friends gossiping and smiling and she wonders if the sisters they're meeting are there yet. Elijah's fingers gently wrap around hers for guidance and she walks next to him, following the waiter to their table. They let go as they sit opposite of two beautiful women who smile when they see Elijah.

"This must be Elena," one of them says. Elena watches Elijah sit and relax before she does the same.

"I am," Elena answers. The sisters introduce themselves as Eleanor and Olivia. Elena does her best to keep her eyes trained on the sisters, even though she wants to glance at Elijah, even though she knows he's still sitting next to her. Her feelings for him are overwhelming, he fogs over her brain when he's near and she can still smell his cologne over the food, the wine, and the other perfumes of everyone near. 

The plan is simple, Elijah will pretend he was undaggered and made his way back to Mystic Falls. If he doesn't check in with the sisters, then they'll assume Klaus daggered him. Then they'll take it out with magic and regroup. Elena feels unneeded here, she's not essential to this plan.

"When were you last daggered?" Olivia asks him. Elena bites her lip, eyes darting away from Elijah's amused face.

"Well, lovely Elena here actually daggered me once. Then she undaggered me. Klaus daggered me during the ritual to lift his curse. Elena undaggered me again, and here I sit," Elijah says. Elena feels embarrassment flush her cheeks and she sips her water to avoid speaking. Instead of being horrified, the sisters lean forward, looking at her with identical fascinated looks on their faces.

"I can't think of a time on record that you've been daggered," Eleanor says.

"Before this year, it was well before I made a deal with your family," Elijah answers. Elena does her best to pretend like this is a normal situation and forces herself to look relaxed.

"You're pretty badass," Olivia compliments her and Elena raises an eyebrow at that. It's not like she had much of a choice.

"I just prefer him alive," she excuses. The sisters grin at that, flashing teeth. Elena's special, there have been records of people attacking the Originals once and dying. The fact she daggered him and still breathes-the sisters watch the pair across them with subtle interest.

"Thank you," Elijah says. His eyes are crinkled and the slight grin on his lips makes her brain short circuit. She can't look away. She should look away now, people are watching her watch him, who might know him better than she does.

"You're welcome," she manages to say, keeping his gaze until Eleanor speaks.

"For the record, we also prefer you in an alive state," she says.

Elijah chuckles at that, leaning back against the booth.

"Noted," he tells Eleanor. Elijah's leg brushes against Elena's under the table and she wonders if it was intentional. It's not like Elijah to do anything unintentionally but she also overthinks their interactions. It's hard to fully read Eleanor and Olivia now but if Elijah trusts them then she will too.

After they order appetizers, she understands her reason for being here, they just want Elena in the loop as their point of contact in Mystic Falls. She's his closest ally geographically right now and the sisters wanted to see her for themselves. Elijah wanted to make sure they exchange contact information. The rest of the dinner is casual and she learns that Elijah made a deal with Olivia and Eleanor's family during World War I. It still makes her head spin to think about it. Dinner is over too quickly, and Elena feels full as she follows Elijah back to his car. There's a moment where she thinks he might say something before he unlocks it, but it passes and she slides into the passenger seat. 

When he drops her off, she can't help but lean into the open driver's side window. 

"Stay safe," she presses. The words come out more urgently than she expected but she doesn't care. Elijah should be careful and she doubts there's a downside to him knowing she cares in some capacity.

"I will, lovely Elena," he says. She keeps his gaze for a few seconds before she nods, and moves away from his car. He doesn't leave her driveway until she's safely in her house. She texts Caroline that she's made it home and gets a reply almost immediately.

_You're welcome but I do want to know why you needed me to cover. We should talk soon, you, me, and Bonnie. I haven't even told you about when Klaus was at my house and gave me his blood._

The text makes Elena shiver, but thankfully Jenna and Alaric aren't in the living room to see. It makes her double-check the fact her door is locked before she heads upstairs to check in and write in her diary.

_You're right. We should definitely have a girls night soon._ Elena sends the text. Elijah's going to Klaus right now, he won't be a secret for long, but she wonders if he's going to ever come clean that she's the one who saved him. She can picture Stefan and Damon rolling their eyes and throwing accusations at her like it wasn't a smart move to have at least one Original on their side. She can hear Bonnie's disappointed tone that she trusted Elijah again after everything. Still, Bonnie's been distant lately, trying to get all the time she can with her mom. She doesn't need to get involved in this.

Caroline might be more willing to listen though, and there might be more to the night Klaus came over to save her life. She hasn't even actually talked to Bonnie or Caroline about what Stefan pulled in great detail. Elena fills her time making plans with Caroline to actually hang out tomorrow and writing in her diary. She waits for a text from Elijah saying he's fine, or from Olivia or Eleanor telling her he's not. 

She falls asleep with her phone a few feet away, waiting for something before her eyes slide shut. 

* * *

Something pulls her out of her dreams, and she looks at her room, from right to left. Her heart rate spikes when she sees someone sitting on her window seat. He's not wearing a tie and a few buttons are undone, but he looks unharmed.

"Elijah?" she yawns, sitting up. The name came out automatically, and by the time she can actually think, she's glad to see it's him. She's suspected Stefan and Damon being here a few times over the years, but never anything she could prove.

"You didn't reply to messages Olivia and I sent so I came here to check on you. I see that you fell asleep," Elijah tells her and she looks at her phone, four unread texts between Olivia and Elijah. She glances at him, watching her in the dim of her room and back to her phone.

Olivia: _It went well, he doesn't require assistance._

Elijah: _I would like to discuss my meeting with Klaus with you, if possible._

An hour later.

Olivia: _Elena?_

Elijah: _Elena, are you awake?_

Elena gets out of bed to slip on a sweater, Jenna must have messed with the thermostat to make the house an icebox again. Elijah watches her silently and she wonders what he's thinking as she sits across from him, on her bed.

"Well, you're here and I'm awake. How'd it go?" Elena asks, shifting forward as he opens his mouth.

"It went well. I think Klaus still suspects Damon or another person from Mystic Falls behind my current state. As it stands, it's entirely plausible that the person dropped me in the middle of nowhere to conceal me and protect themselves. That will be a nice distraction for him to dig into, full of dead ends and it will be impossible to disprove," Elijah tells her and she feels herself smile at the pride in his voice. They might pull this off.

"However, there is a complication I doubt either of us anticipated, and we will need to continue our alliance for both of our sakes. Niklaus is still scheming how to get your blood and he wants your friend Caroline," Elijah informs her, regret clear in his voice. Her eyes widen.

"What do you mean _he wants Caroline?"_ Elena asks immediately. Elijah sighs and she can feel her blood pressure rise.

"He's interested in her refusal of him. Not many people say no to Klaus and tend to live for a significant time after that. Caroline is different and for lack of a better term, I think he fancies her. I do not know the depth of those feelings or how far he will go to attempt to woo her," Elijah explains. Elena raises an eyebrow.

"Klaus is capable of feelings other than anger and murder?" It comes out sharper than she intended. Despite himself, Elijah laughs. It's not loud by any means, they're both aware of the time and the other occupants of the house. He's shifted forward slightly too and the thought gives her butterflies. 

"Fortunately and unfortunately," he answers. She makes a mental note to keep an eye on that and talk to Caroline about it tomorrow.

"We can handle the blood thing but I'm sensing a but here. Is there something else?" Elena wonders. She watches Elijah swallow, something looking almost like uncertainty in his face. 

"Niklaus also undaggered my siblings. The person in the locked coffin was my mother. Niklaus killed her soon after we became vampires. She told us she wants to be reunited after watching us for hundreds of years from the other side, I'm assuming. She has come back to kill my siblings and me, I am certain of it. To celebrate her return, we will be throwing a ball. Founding families and important people of Mystic Falls will be invited. So you will be dragged into this as well," Elijah confesses. Elena resists the urge to close her eyes at the news.

"Your mom tried to kill me once," she tells him. He raises an eyebrow.

"You didn't mention this before," he says. His eyebrows are drawn together with an almost concerned look on his face.

"Well, I didn't think there was a way for her to come back. But your mom told Vicki if she killed me, then Vicki could come back for good. She wanted to stop Klaus from using me to make more hybrids. She set Alaric's car on fire and it took Matt and Stefan to help me get out. Bonnie reversed the spell and Vicki disappeared," Elena tells him. He looks at her for what feels like a long moment.

"She will not harm you again. I give you my word, lovely Elena," he promises. Elena thinks of having to promise to someone her mom wouldn't try to kill them again. It's hard to picture it.

"I'm so sorry," spills out of her mouth. Elijah raises an eyebrow at her. 

"I can't imagine my mom coming back to kill me. I can't imagine having so many siblings gone for so long and then all of them back at once. This must be difficult. I shouldn't keep you," Elena tells him. Elijah shakes his head slightly.

"I like your company. And the silence of your house is an added bonus," Elijah says lightly. For a moment she can see the weariness in his frame. She reaches for one of his hands by his knees and holds it in hers, in the space between them.

"I know I'm just me, but I am here if you or your siblings need anything. I know you've wanted to be reunited for so long. I'll do what I can to help you take down your mother," Elena promises. She looks up from their joined hands to look at him again, he's like a magnet, and her eyes always seem pulled to him. He looks unguarded for a moment, the tension absent from his face, no underlying motives, no schemes hidden in minute details. Then his guarded face is back again, just like that, and there's the beginning of a smirk on his lips.

"I didn't mention that I would be taking my mother down," he teases. She doesn't waver.

"You always have a plan. And someone threatening you and your very recently reunited siblings is a threat. Therefore, you're planning on making a plan to take her down. Probably involving me because my blood has magical properties and at least one of your siblings, I'm guessing Klaus because he's the one who killed her and he probably trusts it as much as you do," Elena tells him. His hand adds more pressure to hers, not in an uncomfortable way, just more intensity, sending sparks through her.

"Very astute," he compliments. His hand squeezes hers briefly and it makes her head spin with the implications of that, maybe she hasn't been imagining this thing between them.

"Being yourself is more valuable than you realize, Elena, especially in your case," he tells her. Elena flushes at the genuine compliment. Before she can reply, his phone vibrates loudly and he pulls away. He frowns.

"Niklaus is calling, no doubt wondering where I am. You should get some rest, sweet Elena, I will keep you informed," Elijah promises. She already misses the warmth of his hand in hers.

"Good luck," she whispers, and he's gone.

* * *

"Someone left a package on the porch for you this morning," Alaric tells her. Elena raises an eyebrow and asks him to pour her a cup of coffee before she opens the package. It's a dress, perfect for going to a ball. Gloves. A bracelet. Earrings. Heels. Alaric hands her a cup of coffee.

"Is there another interested guy Jenna and I need to beat away with a stick?" Alaric jokes. Elena isn't sure if the smile she fakes is convincing at all, but she holds her breath waiting to see the card under the dress.

_I hope this is not too presumptuous but the invitations did arrive on short notice. The bracelet has vervain in it. I hope you'll save me a dance._

-E.

"And this," Alaric says. He hands her an envelope that has her name in perfect script on it. Elijah knew someone else would probably want to look at her invitation, she thinks. She tucks his note in her pocket and opens the invitation. To her surprise, there is writing on the back, just not from the Original she was hoping for. Esther wants to meet her.

"The Originals are throwing a ball tonight, all Founding Families and some others are being invited," she informs Alaric drily. He sets his coffee cup down with a look of understanding. She's going either way, with force or of her own free will. 

"At least you don't have to find an outfit, there's one upside," he offers. He's got a point there. No harm in making sure it fits, and she'll send Elijah a text after she's tried it all on. He deserves a sincere thank you but between their schedules, she doubts she's going to see him until tonight. Now's a good time to call Caroline and catch up with her on everything from her bite to Tyler to what she's wearing to the ball. Bonnie's been spending time with her mom lately and Elena doesn't want to drag her into this.

* * *

"Did they send outfits to everyone?" Caroline wonders, looking at the box in Elena's hands. Elena shakes her head before Caroline lets her in. Klaus pulled a similar move to Elijah and Elena wonders who inspired who-or if the brothers think alike in some ways after being alive for so long. They head to her bedroom for privacy even though Sheriff Forbes is at work. Old habits die hard.

"Pinky promise this stays between us," Elena says. Caroline looks at the serious face and nods, offering her pinky solemnly. They do their old pinky promise ritual before Elena speaks again.

"Elijah sent it to me," Elena admits. Caroline sends her a quizzical look before thinking about it.

"Do you have a thing? How long has been going on?" Caroline presses. Elena shakes her head in disappointment. She'd be happy if there was more to tell on that front but there really isn't.

"So you know how Elijah wasn't with the others? I was the one who released him from his coffin. We've been working together since then," Elena confesses. Caroline grins knowingly. Elena's two for two on that then. 

"And he hasn't kissed me or anything. We're just allies, Care. I kept it a secret because everyone would have been mad and upset at me for trusting in him, but I had to," Elena tells her. Caroline nods, aware of what Klaus has done. Despite that, she can't stop the soft feelings she has for him. It's in the way he gasped at her bite from Tyler, despite the things he's seen and done in over a thousand years of living. The way he spoke and held her sparked something she hasn't felt in a long time. Still, if Elena can have feelings for Elijah, maybe she'll understand the feelings she has for Klaus. Tyler did break up with her to go find himself months ago and told her to move on. He has. So has she.

Klaus can infuriate her and comfort her in the same minute and she feels a pull she's been trying to deny for some time now. Elena must be able of understanding that, and Caroline does her best to explain it all. She ends with showing Elena the bracelet and the package she recieved this morning.

"Oh Care, that's gonna look gorgeous on you," Elena breathes.

"You aren't mad?" Caroline questions. Elena shakes her head.

"Getting mad wouldn't help. You could be mad at me too, for keeping Elijah a secret for so long. And for trusting him again after the ritual," Elena reminds her. Caroline knows there's something to Elena and Elijah, much deeper than a crush.

"Klaus has done several things to us all, and he did kill me. He's trying to get my blood and make hybrids. But Stefan went with him willingly and without compulsion. What he did was on him. I will say if he hurts you, I will hurt him. But if you want to be with him, I'm not going to stop you and I'm not going to judge you," Elena tells her. Caroline breathes a sigh of relief.

"So, what'd he give you?" Caroline asks, looking toward the box still in Elena's lap.

Elena pulls out the dress, the heels, the earrings, gloves, and vervain bracelet. Caroline blinks in surprise.

"Do you want to go together? Then we can look out for each other and we can talk about what happened after," Elena suggests. Caroline nods in approval.

"So. There's always some sort of supernatural thing going on. What's the current shit show?" Caroline wonders. Elena remembers her note from Esther.

"Between you and me, Elijah and I think their mom is trying to kill them. And she might use tonight to get rid of them, and by extension, all vampires," Elena divulges. Caroline groans.

"Then leaving together is a great idea," Caroline decides. It's easier to turn to more lighthearted topics like when they'll get ready together. 

"I have a few ideas for how we could do your hair," Elena tells her and Caroline smiles back, thankful to have a best friend here with her on this.

* * *

It's easy enough to drive there but Caroline has to nudge her to get her out of the car. Thankfully, it only takes a few minutes to find the Originals. However, Elijah is busy with a small group, and Rebekah spots Elena after Caroline leaves her to say hi to Mrs. Lockwood. Rebekah corners her, looking stunning in an emerald dress. Despite the setting, she's willing to bet the vampire can still do some damage.

'You drove a dagger through my back, Elena, it hurt," she reminds her.

"I wasn't wearing your necklace," Elena realizes. She unhooks her necklace and holds it in front of Rebekah to take. Her realization sends a shock through her.

"What?" Rebekah snaps. She accepts the necklace while she waits for Elena to explain her vague statement and wide eyes.

"I didn't want to hurt you. I remember Damon telling me I had to, and then it just happened," Elena voices her thought aloud. Rebekah stares into her eyes. She's had hundreds of years to perfect that stare and Elena refuses to squirm under it. Rebekah's face softens and she blinks first.

"He compelled you," Rebekah murmurs. It's more to herself than anything else. Elena nods.

"I wanted to be your friend then. I still want to be your friend now," Elena tells her, meeting her eyes. The heartbeat doesn't lie. Multiple factors led them to getting off on the wrong foot. Maybe they could start again.

"Do you still have vervain on you?" Rebekah questions, in a quieter tone. Elena lifts her wrist to show a silver bracelet that Rebekah recognizes from Elijah's room this morning, but it must be a coincidence that they look alike.

"I do," Elena answers. Rebekah gives her a look of approval.

"You're still in a vampire den. Smart move," Rebekah compliments before she walks away. 

One blonde Mikaelson gets replaced with another. 

"Ah, Elena. Surely Rebekah didn't invite you," Klaus says with a raised eyebrow. There's no point in dancing around it.

"Your mom invited me. She wrote on the back of the card that she wanted to see me, so here I am," Elena says. She resists the urge to shrug. Klaus's eyes narrow at that.

"And you came despite not knowing her?" Klaus questions. Elena can't help the quirk of her lips, she's trying not to smile at the ridiculousness of it all. He doesn't know she knows about the plan and wants to kill his mother too. Elijah trusts her more than she thought if he's keeping her knowledge secret from Klaus.

"Your family makes up the most powerful people on the planet. I think I would have come here either way. At least I'm here willingly. And not kidnapped like before," Elena answers. There's no way he can find a flaw in that logic, he's threatened to kidnap her more than once. At least this song and dance has bystanders and actual music. 

"What game are you playing?" he says lowly. She can barely hear him with human ears. She's not going to back down from his intense gaze.

"I don't know what your mother wants," Elena mouths, slowly. There are too many people who could hear. Better safe than sorry. Klaus looks away first, to see two familiar faces.

"Here he is. Niklaus, Miss Forbes was looking for you," Elijah informs him. Elena watches Klaus transform from the man who would have threatened her for more than just a pound of flesh, become awestruck. She watches them walk away before another Mikaelson appears.

This must be Finn. Tall and expressionless. His accent is different than the rest of his siblings and despite how much time he's spent in a coffin, he's still mastered the art of intensity.

"If you want to see my mother, you'll need to be alone. I can escort you to see her if you'd like. This house my brother constructed is a maze in its own right," Finn tells her. 

"Thank you, I would like that," she tells him. Finn takes her answer and nods before he walks away. She follows, curious about if he meant now or if he has somewhere to be. He's ascending the grand staircase, standing with his siblings as Elijah begins to speak. Elena does her best to have her eyes drift between the Originals but Elijah always cleans up very well. After the speech is over, she spots Stefan and Damon in the crowd, and out of the corner of her eye, she spots Elijah approaching. 

"You look exquisite," he compliments. 

"You look very handsome," she replies. He offers his hand.

"Would you do me the honor of being my dance partner?" he inquires. She nods, accepting his hand. Maybe she'll finally write her letter about him tonight, regardless of how it goes. He is steady and sure in his movements, an excellent dancer in every way. Even if this means nothing to him, if they are allies and nothing more, at least she had this moment. She can see Stefan and Damon with their own partners, giving her looks, even the other Mikaelsons have glanced over, but she focuses on the footwork. He squeezes her hand, she assumes reassuringly. She squeezes his hand in return, thankful.

"Thank you," she whispers, but she hopes he knows she doesn't just mean for being her dance partner. She can't say that with all of the ears that could be listening though.

"You're welcome," he replies, just as quietly. She ends up dancing with Kol, who looks at her curiously but doesn't do much besides what she hopes is harmless flirting. It's probably just entertaining for him to rile up the Salvatores who they both know have been watching her. The next partner she has is the eldest Mikaelson, still a taciturn. 

"Would you like to leave the dance floor with me for some air?' he questions. This must be the time to meet Esther then, so she nods before he leads her off the dance floor. It's up the stairs and through a few hallways to a small, dark room. Despite coming face to face with the woman who attempted to kill her once, she can't help but wonder who Elijah's dancing with now, despite her attention to Esther. 

* * *

She is thankful to find Elijah after she turns a corner, trying to find the way she came. He gestures to follow him so she does, hoping the night will end. As nice as the heels are, they're still killing her feet a little. The sensation makes her long for her Converse. He opens a door and she walks through it before he closes it behind him.

After a few minutes of whispering of safe enough topics, she's sharply aware that she's been alone with him for a few minutes now. Someone is bound to notice she's been alone with an Original for too long. There's a thrill to that, there's always something intense about being the focus of his attention. Even in a room full of people, other people talking for her, he listens to her, always. 

She's not sure how sharp his senses are but she's sure he's smelled the blood. Still, she wonders if anyone else would make the air this thick or look at her as intensely as Elijah is now-just for peeling off her glove. THere's a question on his face, unasked in the silence. His eyes widen at the sight of dried blood on her wrist, furious, but there's no sign of that when his eyes meet hers. If she wanted to ruin the moment, she'd tell him she wished he picked a gown with pockets, she needs her phone. It's sitting in her car right now, in the console.

She mimics a phone near her ear and gestures to him. He hands her his phone, unlocked, vulnerably on the home screen. She finds her contact name, not under E for Elena where she expected, but L, Lovely Elena. She doesn't glance at the other contact names as much as she wants to. She types out the message but doesn't send it and hands his phone back to him.

_It's in the champagne. She wants to unite you all to kill you. All vampires will die and Finn is helping her. I don't know if he's listening. What do you want to do?_

Elijah reads the text before he's typing a reply.

_You have done more than enough. If you could get your friends out of here after the last dance, I would be grateful. I'll contact Olivia and Eleanor. Klaus will be easy enough to persuade. I will let you know when it is over._

Elena frowns slightly before she replies.

_I don't think I'll be able to convince Stefan or Damon but I'll get Matt and Caroline. Thank you for everything._

She hands the phone back to him and he nods before putting it in his tuxedo jacket again. He'll break their necks and compel someone to drive them home if needed. 

They need to leave but he blocks her path with a step.

"Be safe," he murmurs before pressing his lips against her forehead. And then he's gone. Elena remembers she needs to pull up her glove and wait a few minutes before leaving as well. She can picture the scandalized faces and tongues that would wag at the knowledge she was alone with Elijah. 

There won't be time to linger and look at the rest of the house, but she takes a few more sweeping looks at the well-stocked study he led her to, with books and a few decanters perfectly placed. There isn't much time to digest that kiss as she double-checks her appearance. Elijah has always been full of surprises to her. Was it just concern that fueled that? Perhaps it was platonic like a quick peck he'd give anyone else? If it was something more, why not kiss her on the lips properly? There's no one to ask except Caroline. She can feel the heat rush to her face at the thought of describing what happened. Nothing scandalous happened but it's still shocking in its own way. Elijah doesn't do anything without reason. She almost wishes she could ask Olivia and Eleanor, but it's better to keep their minds on protecting the Mikaelsons.

Elena finds her way down the stairs and the familiar blue of Caroline's dress.

"Hey, we need to leave soon and we should get Matt, he's probably not okay to drive himself home," Elena hints. She looks up to see Klaus frown at her, looking to her hands like there's an accusation.

"You're right, I'll go find him and meet you back here," Caroline agrees easily, shooting a look to Klaus. 

"What are you up to?" he mouths. She ignores the mouthed question.

"I'm not feeling well. I don't think I could handle some _bloody champagne_ before heading home. And I'm the designated driver, so," Elena answers. Klaus gives her a look at her exaggerated mimicry of his accent. He looks to her and she raises her wrist slightly before she pops it in an exaggerated fashion.

"Don't drink," she mouths. His eyes narrow before Caroline returns with Matt in tow. 

"We should get going before he gets sleepy," Caroline says. Matt gives Elena a look that Klaus doesn't miss but lets them pass through the front doors anyway to get her car keys from a valet. Just a few minutes away from home. They'll drop off Matt first and then she'll spend the night with Caroline.

"What the hell was that?" Matt wonders, as Elena starts the car.

"Vampire drama. We're avoiding it by slipping out without the other Originals or the Salvatores noticing," Caroline answers. Matt shakes his head in disbelief. At least he hasn't had to see much of it, Elena thinks. Small miracles exist.

* * *

_It has been taken care of and we are all safe. Thank you. Sweet dreams, lovely Elena._

The text makes her grin to herself. Caroline is asleep in Elena's bed already, so she lets herself take out her box of letters and her supplies.

Elijah is surprisingly hard to write to. Despite the fact she's already written three of these letters, this is the only one where the relationship isn't over in her eyes. It might be foolish to hope and maybe she'll be the one rejected this time. There's just something about the understanding they have between them, the way he knows what she's saying and knows the importance of what she _isn't_ saying, and the way she finds herself enchanted with him. It all spills out easily and she almost smears the ink more than once in her urgency. It's everything she's ever wanted to say to his face but has never wanted to risk it. She's not brave enough in this. Facing his mother who wanted her dead a few months ago was surprisingly easier. 

He's magnetic and unlike anyone else she's ever met, and she tells him all that and more, relieved to get it off her chest. Her heart sinks at the thought that he might leave Mystic Falls soon, there's no real reason to stay. Crisis averted. She'll probably never get to properly thank Olivia and Eleanor for helping them. Still, when the words run out, she gathers the pages and takes care in folding them, before she remembers to date them. Her cursive on his letter is painstaking, carefully writing down Klaus's address. 

Perhaps it's better this way, to leave it unknown and give herself hope. It would be strange to hand him a letter and wait for his reaction. Caroline shifts her position and Elena realizes how late it is. It might be better to get some sleep and think about her feelings in the morning.

* * *

"Elena? Is Caroline with you?" Jenna calls through the door. Caroline sits up, shaking Elena's shoulder.

"I forgot to tell my mom where I was with everything going on. I'll brush my teeth and you can drive me home," Caroline says, flashing out of bed before Elena opens her eyes. 

"Yeah, I'll drive her home in a minute! Tell her mom to call off a search party!" Elena shouts through the door.

She manages to get dressed in a fog, following Caroline down the stairs and out to her car. She doesn't glance at the open box on her desk or her charging phone.

"Thanks for driving me home. I'm sure my mom is going to give me a speech about safety again despite the fact I'm a vampire and we're almost adults," Caroline says, rolling her eyes.

"She's just worried. She's your mom. It's her job to worry and catch the bad guys," Elena says. Caroline softens. While Jenna worries, Caroline knows Elena would trade the world to have her mom nag her again.

"You're right. I'm gonna apologize and try to figure out how to explain things," Caroline says. Elena parks in her driveway.

"Good luck!" Elena tells her before Caroline unbuckles and disappears out of view.

* * *

Alaric's making waffles when Elena comes back. It smells like vanilla and maple syrup, a perfect start to the day. Unlike Jenna's attempts at waffles, Alaric's are better than edible, they're delicious.

"How was the ball, Cinderella?" he teases. Elena rolls her eyes.

"No one died. At least, that I know of. It was weird. Caroline and I took Matt home and she crashed here," she tells him, debating a cup of coffee.

"Jenna's out running errands. Plenty of waffles for everybody. Even Jeremy, if he gets up before noon," Alaric jokes. Elena resists the urge to get her phone from upstairs and see if Elijah's texted her back. Nothing's keeping him in Mystic Falls except his family, but they could have left this morning. Elena manages a smile and small talk over waffles.

* * *

Matt finds her at her locker on Wednesday.

"You didn't need to explain it. I knew you were going through a lot back then. Hell, you still are," Matt says, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. She accepts the embrace, it's been a while since they've actually talked about their feelings and not just the latest threat to Mystic Falls. After a moment she wonders what he's talking about, exactly, and pulls away.

"Matt, what do you mean _I explained it_?" she asks. He watches her frown and raises an eyebrow. He leans against his locker before he answers, watching a few people pass by.

"Your letter," he answers plainly, watching her eyes widen. The bell rings for lunch and she thinks she manages to say something before she flees to the parking lot. She doesn't remember the drive home, she probably went the speed limit and stopped at the stop signs, but it's all a blur, until she parks. Heart pounding, she bolts up the stairs to check her blue box of letters, where she moved it the other day.

Empty.

_"Jenna's out running errands,"_

Jenna mailed out her letters. Not knowing what they were. 

Technically the ones to Matt and Stefan are fine, but she hadn't actually outright rejected Damon before. And Elijah's supposed to be leaving Mystic Falls. 

Her stomach sinks to the floor with a resounding thud. Elijah. It was sent to Klaus's house. Any of the Mikaelsons could open it and laugh. It's so embarrassing. Still, she rubs the bracelet around her wrist absently. There are two classes left and she's debating dying of embarrassment on her bedroom floor. She has almost perfect attendance despite everything, she can play truant for once. 

Jeremy's the one to find her on her bedroom floor, staring at the ceiling, and pointedly ignoring her phone.

"You skipped," he says. She nods wordlessly. He takes in the scene before he lays on the floor next to her, limbs splayed out.

"So what happened?" Jeremy prods.

"It's stupid," Elena dismisses.

"Anything can be called stupid. Doesn't mean it doesn't mean something to you," Jeremy reminds her sagely. Elena sighs.

"I wrote love letters. As a way of closure for relationships. I wrote one to Matt. One to Stefan, one to Damon, and an actual love letter that's actually current. As in, I'm still in love with this one," Elena confesses. She keeps her eyes glued on the ceiling, not wanting to see Jeremy's face.

"It can't be that bad, it's not like you're in love with Klaus," Jeremy jokes. Elena groans, closing her eyes.

"Oh my god, please tell me it's not Klaus," he insists. With another sigh, Elena opens her eyes.

"It's Elijah," she admits. Jeremy wiggles his eyebrows at her.

"So what'd he say? What did any of them say?" he prods.

"I only got a reaction from Matt. He was confused but okay with it," Elena tells him.

"They're just guys, Elena," he reminds her.

"Yeah, just guys that all predate the Civil War," she reminds the ceiling. She can't take the face Jeremy's making.

"They'll move on. And Elijah could have a thing for you. He's always wanted to talk to you instead of anybody else. Is he the one who gave you that dress for the ball?" Jeremy wonders. Damn Alaric. She should have known he wouldn't have kept that secret, she should have just opened it upstairs.

"Yeah," Elena admits.

"That's not nothing. That could be something," he encourages, as her phone begins buzzing. There are missed calls from Damon, a text from Stefan, a few more concerned texts from Alaric, Caroline, and Bonnie but it's the person who's calling that surprises her.

Speak of the devil. She tries to shoo Jeremy out of her room into the bathroom before she answers it. He gives her an annoying grin as she shuts the door.

"Elena," he greets her.

"Elijah," she says.

"I was hoping we could talk in person sometime this afternoon," he says. Her heart seems to stop in her chest but Elena steels herself.

"I'm free, where do you want to meet?" she finds herself asking. Time to clean up the evidence she cried, maybe change her shirt, and she tries to remember where she left her car keys as he keeps talking.

* * *

It was easier to walk into a vampire den then sit in the park, on a bench, waiting for her favorite vampire. He appears as she fidgets with her purse. 

"I thought you left Mystic Falls already," she blurts out.

"I did. But Rebekah sent me a picture of this," he tells her, holding her letter in his hand. It's opened. She doesn't breathe for a moment at the sight of it, rubbing her wrist absently.

"Did she read it?" She can't help the question that escapes her lips.

"No. But I did," Elijah answers.

Elena stays silent, watching him.

"You should know I wrote you a letter as well," he says.

"Really?"

Elijah produces a letter from his jacket pocket and hands it to her. It's strange to read and be watched so intensely, but it's a brief enough letter. A few things make her think maybe she's not as foolish as she thought.

"Always and forever?" she questions. It's something the Mikaelsons have said, it seems to be a family motto, a promise, and it's something to hold onto. His eyes are warm. She takes a step closer.

"I like you too, Elena. Very much. I would like to court you properly. I thought I was coming on too strong, actually," he admits. She blinks in surprise.

Maybe they're more alike than she thought, as she closes the distance to kiss him for the first time.


End file.
